Cape Scott Day 4 - Hiking Out

This will be a short post. Day 4 is all about getting up early, having breakfast, breaking camp and getting back to the trail head in good time. Once there, we drive out on the logging roads to the highway and then head back down island and home. By now our packs are lighter, our food is almost all gone and we're not carrying much water as we will pick it up from streams along the way. I don't take many pictures on the way out, but must show the shoe tree below.

Can't explain it. Someone started it years ago and it continues on. A hammer and a box of nails lay there awaiting your shoe contribution. How they managed to get so high up that tree is a mystery.

So after 15 years and an aborted attempt two years ago, Roy and I finally make it to the Cape Scott Lighthouse. Thanks to Ian for organizing the trip and sharing his gear, his knowledge and experience.
It wasn't an easy trip, but truly an amazing journey.

Cape Scott Day 3 - the Light Station

The sound of rain, wind and the pounding surf woke us in the wee hours of the morning and as the day dawned it looked to me like it would be a good day to just hide in the tent. But no, that's not what they do out here on the "wet" coast. You dress for the weather and soldier on. We ate granola standing in the pouring rain and then headed out for the Cape Scott Light Station, a manned light house in service since the 1960's. It is a 6K hike through the woods, out onto beaches and through sand dunes. The rain continues to fall and not surprisingly, we are alone on the trail. Maybe hiding in the tent was not such a bad idea....


Everywhere there are floats, every color, shape and size. They are used to mark the trail entry and exit points as these could be easily missed otherwise. I love the way they look and am tempted to take a few out with me, but good sense and the threat of the extra weight over the return trip prevails. Besides, how could I ever choose..


Finally, we make it to the light. One of the lighthouse keepers comes out to chat and he is holding a steaming cup of coffee. I briefly consider rushing him for it, but the urge passes. He tells us that the front that brought the rain will pass by mid afternoon. Good news. We take a few pictures, proof that we made it to the light and then turn around to head back to camp.




We are about half-way back to camp when the sky starts to clear. Nice. Roy and I take our time and do some beach combing and exploring among the tidal pools. We love doing this.



When we finally arrive back at camp it is to the group gathered watching gray whales offshore. They are clearly visible without binoculars surfacing to blow, the long roll of their backs and then the tail fluke as they dive deep. There are several of them and they put on quite a show. Dolphins and seals are also frolicking out there. What a thrill! We watch as we eat lunch and then with the sun shining down and our tent and gear all dried out we decide to have a nap.


How's that for a view from the tent?
The rest of the afternoon passes, we walk the beach, explore, and enjoy our surroundings. Another dehydrated dinner, this time beef stroganoff, more cookies and iodine-flavored coffee to wash it down. Life can't get better than this. The sun starts to set, sinking into the Pacific Ocean and it is spectacular. The end of another unbelievable day.

Cape Scott Day 2 - March or Die

Once we had re-stocked our food and water - we set off on the longer 17.4K hike to Cape Scott.
The pictures above will give you some idea of the variety of terrain. A day of up and down hills, over and under fallen trees, sweating in the open sunshine and cool in the deep woods. We stopped often for snacks and water, a short break and then carried on. It was a very enjoyable hike, though also very challenging. If ever I wanted to know what my limit was, I now know that it is 17.4 K.


In the early 1900's there had been an attempt to settle this remote northern area and then again after the war. Both attempts failed with the last of the settlers leaving in the 1950's. Sad evidence of the settlements remain in the form of iron tools and other artifacts, corduroy roads, dilapidated buildings, fences and telegraph poles with the wires dangling uselessly. The grasslands above were used to pasture cattle.


After 6 hours of hiking we reached the hanging float trail markers and burst onto the beach at Cape Scott. First order is to set up camp, this time among the driftwood on the beach above the high water mark. Dinner will be dehydrated chicken and rice with cookies for dessert; a truly nice "light" snack! Water is available at this camp but must be boiled or purified to be safe to drink. Ian has brought Iodine tablets which makes the water safe. Gatorade powder then masks the taste of the Iodine and makes it palatable. We got a fire going after dinner, but we were all pretty tired after our long day and as the sun set and the beach got dark we were all ready to turn in, again with the sound of the surf lulling us to sleep.

Cape Scott - day 1

We set out early Thursday morning for the 4 hour drive to Cape Scott National Park, on the most northerly tip of Vancouver Island. At one point we left civilization and paved roads to travel 46K along the dreaded logging road. These roads were built by the logging companies for the sole purpose of transporting timber out of the area. They are gravel and just wide enough for a logging truck. Above left - the loggers warning to tourists (yes, that was a car) to be ready to get out of their way. We reached the main parking lot at about 2:30, got our gear together and headed for San Josef Bay, a 2.5K hike along mostly flat gravel trails for our first night of camping.


There's lots of interesting things to look at along the trail, like this tree Roy thought he should climb. (I think it was just an excuse to drop his pack for a bit). Roy took this picture of our group when we made the beach at San Josef Bay. We set up camp in the trees along the beach and then did some exploring. Roy and I had visited this spot 15 years ago on our first visit to Vancouver Island and had always planned to come back prepared to do the longer hike to the Light House.


If you are a lover of unspoiled, deserted beaches, they don't come any more spectacular than this. In a few places the high tides have worn away the rock and created caves and sculptures called "sea stacks". Sadly, the rising tide and setting sun drove us back to camp way before we were finished exploring. We had dinner, sat around a campfire for a while - then time to turn in.





An uneventful night, lulled to sleep by the sound of the surf hitting the beach. To avoid night-time confrontations our food had been cached in bear-proof receptacles provided by the park. Day 2 was to be the long hike to Cape Scott so we ate breakfast, broke camp quickly and headed back to the parking lot to pick up the food and water we needed for the longer hike.
The weather was ideal for hiking and with spirits and energy high we were ready for anything!

Loving Life in Lighthouse Country

Don't let the picture fool you - I've never looked that good in a bikini...and come to think of it, Roy has never caught a fish that big either, but don't tell him I said that. He's actually too busy to go fishing right now. Ever since he worked with Steve (the Excavator) and Jed (the Arborist), he's been in demand to work in construction, everything from "flag" man, to tree felling, running a tamper and most recently helping to put in a septic field. All great experience, although some of it a little hard on the "old guy" and he comes home pretty tired and dusty. A little dinner and he's done for the night. A month or so ago Roy also joined the Bow Horn Bay (Bowser/Horne Lake/Qualicum Bay) Volunteer Fire Department. Roy is a man of action - give him a hose and let him go put out a fire, but no, sadly, there is studying, tests, training and practises. Fire fighting is not to be taken lightly and luckily, fires in this area are rare. The BHBVFD is very active in community events so we recently helped serve at a pancake breakfast and will join in at many of the upcoming events as well. We are meeting a lot of nice people this way and having a lot of fun. People think retirement is quiet and restful...not sure where that concept originated because we have more things to do than time to do them in. This Thursday we and a group of friends embark on a 4-day hiking adventure to Cape Scott on Vancouver Islands most northern tip - google it for location and more info. More on this when we get back.

Suburban Deer

Deer abound here on Vancouver Island and they have adapted to the urban sprawl; they graze at the side of the road, they amble down neighborhood streets and sidewalks, nibble almost any leafy plant, bush or tree and rest in the shade wherever they find it. They're smaller than the deer in Ontario but just as beautiful. The buck above left has been bedding down during the heat of the afternoon in my Dad's backyard, drinking from the bird bath and watching the kids play in neighboring yards. Mom's hostas have been decimated - just stems now. If ever I thought I might plant them once we get settled - I'm having second thoughts... what would be worse, the deer or the slugs? My Mom loved rose bushes and I remember her planting a prized chocolate rose and waiting the first year for that one bud to open - only to have it disappear on the eve of blooming. Same with tulip bulbs, she planted hundreds every fall and they met the same fate. Mom just shrugged, she loved the deer. Next year she was out planting again. I once watched a fawn grazing in a bed of pink impatiens - not a bloom was left when it was finished, but what an adorable sight - right out of Bambi. Gardening here will be interesting. I think I will opt for low maintenance native plants, grasses, moss and ferns ....and put out food for the deer.

Qualicum Bay Low Tide

The tides are something I know very little about, but I just love it when I see something like this; boats, anchored until the receding tide leaves them beached. So now do you walk out, hop in your boat and wait for the tide to come back to take it for a ride? Or do you wait for the tide to come back and then wade/swim or take a boat out to your boat? Am I missing something here....